Incredible
by laurzz
Summary: DannyLindsay and the Messer kiddos. “It had been a long time since they last went out. If Danny was totally honest, he couldn’t remember the last time they went out just the two of them.”


**AN: Hey! So here's another fluff filled DL offering. Again, the Messers are back because apparently I can't write anything else anymore. My little heart is just obsessed. There are some little shout outs to other stories in this, and a clue as to what I'm working on at the minute! You know me. **

**And before I start waffling about the fact I watched 9x13 last night and sobbed happy little tears, I'll stop it here and let you read! **

**Hope you guys enjoy this one. **

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_You're wearing that dress I like. Those heels make you six feet high. In the taxi you're trying to put your make-up on, while singing the words to your favourite song. My god, it's been a while, since the last time I saw you smile. Sometimes life gets so crazy that we can forget alll the little things we did back when we first met._

_-Incredible, James TW_

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"I've written down our numbers and put them on the breakfast bar. If you need anything, I mean anything, call us."

The teenager sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I'd appreciate it if you took this a little more seriously. We'll be back no later than eleven. Do you know where everything is?"

"I'd hope so, considering I live here."

"Lucy…"

"Mom, come _on_!" Lucy Messer implored. "You've written down your numbers? Not only do I have them stored on my cell, Ben's cell and the landline, I know them by heart. I got this. I babysit Uncle Flack's girls all the time and he trusts me..."

Lindsay sighed. "I know, I know… I just-"

"Will you stop?" Lucy smiled reassuringly. "Mom, you know you can trust me. When do you guys ever get to go out without us?"

"Never!" Lindsay implored. "Hence, this-" She gestured to her concerned face. "Just promise me-"

"Promise you what? If the house randomly catches on fire, I'll call. If a mass murderer breaks in _again,_ I'll call. If a kidnapper comes and takes Lydia… I'll wait fifteen minutes."

"Lucy!" Lindsay scolded.

"I'll wait because you and I both know they're dropping her off with a medal for you and daddy."

Lindsay rolled her eyes.

"I promise, I'll call if we need you." Lucy's bright brown eyes assured her mother. "Promise."

"Okay." Lindsay nodded. She pressed a kiss to her daughter's cheek. "Ben needs to shower tonight."

"Okay."

"Lydia hasn't had her snack yet either."

"I'll pull the walnuts off the brownie before I give it to her. Don't worry." Lucy smiled."why she can't have the ones without the nuts on in the first place I don't know."

"They're not the same apparently." Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Don't ask, it's just easier that way."

Danny, who had been stood waiting for Lindsay in the hallway, leant against the doorframe and smiled. He could see the frustration in his daughter's eyes but he also knew that his wife couldn't help it. As much as she trusted Lucy, she was still leaving her babies. If only for a couple of hours. He listened to her rhyme off a thousand other things she felt Lucy needed to know and he could see his daughter switching off.

It had been a long time since they last went out. If Danny was totally honest, he couldn't remember the last time they went out just the two of them. They always had at least one of their kids with them. It was hard. Between their shifts, responsibilities as parents to three kids and general life, time for dates were low on the totem pole unfortunately.

They didn't have much planned, dinner and drinks. Really, it was just an excuse to go somewhere that didn't offer chicken tenders as an entree. Whilst they spent a lot of time together, be it at home or work, they never really got the chance to be just them. They were extremely lucky to have been able to spend so many years together working hand in hand with one another and they didn't take it for granted. But sometimes they craved to be just Danny and Lindsay for a little while. Not Mom and Dad. Not that married couple who work together. Not Detective Messer and Messer. Purely Danny and Lindsay.

He took in the image of his wife and smiled. She'd grown her hair out a little recently and he liked it. Her hair longer always reminded him of when they first met. He loved her curls. They'd been the epitome of Lindsay for so long and whilst he loved her no matter how she looked; he had a special place in his heart for her 'Montana curls' as he'd affectionately named the hairstyle.

His eyes absorbed the rest of her. Accompanying the recently returned curls was a pair of heels that he was extememly fond of. He wasn't sure what it was about them… they just did things to him. He remembered one time she'd worn them. They hadn't been dating for very long and they'd gone to a fundraiser. She'd emerged from the bathroom that night and he could remember it as if it were yesterday. He had lost his mind that night. She had looked so beautiful that had she not insisted on staying, he'd have shown his face and then dragged her back home to test out a theory she'd had that night.

Luckily for him, they'd managed to prove the theory as correct in tbe stairwell. And then again once they'd got back to his apartment.

He blinked. As he continued to take in the image of his wife. The heels and hair, added to the fact Lindsay was wearing a dress… the three things together were always a winning combination.

"Daddy, you done staring or do you need another minute?" Lucy's voice broke his thoughts. His eldest daughter turned to her mother. "I think he approves, Mom."

"Alright wiseass," he laughed. "Linds, you done tellin' her stuff she already knows?"

Rolling her eyes, Lindsay moved towards her daughter and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm sorry… I know you know all of this. I just have to-"

"I know." Lucy smiled. "Have fun."

"We will." Danny nodded as he pressed a kiss to Lucy's forehead. "Ben, Lydia; we're goin'!" He called out. "You gonna come say bye?"

He heard the thundering of Lydia's footsteps from her bedroom. "BUT I HAVEN'T HAD MY SNAAAAACK!"

"Lucy's gonna give you your snack honey." Lindsay explained as Lydia scrambled down the stairs. "She knows what the deal is."

"No nuts," Lydia puffed as she collided with Danny's legs. "Daddy did you tell her no nuts?"

"We told her." Danny nodded. "She knows."

Lydia sighed. "Okies. Bye." She puckered her lips together as Lindsay bent down. Lydia pressed a kiss to Lindsay's cheek and Lindsay pressed a kiss to Lydia's button nose.

"Be good honey." Lindsay warned. "Listen to Lucy, okay?"

"Okies." Lydia nodded before moving to Danny for a kiss.

"Bye baby." He said, pressing a kiss to the little girl's forehead. "Be good, love you."

"Love you!" She sang as she skipped back upstairs.

"Ben? Bye!" Danny caked up the stairs.

"_Bye_!" They heard a distant shout from his room.

"He couldn't care less." Danny smirked. "Ready?" He held his hand out to Lindsay.

Lindsay took one last look at Lucy and Lucy sighed. "Mom, go!"

"Okay, okay…" Lindsay laughed as Danny pulled her to the front door. "Bye, honey:"

The door clicked shut behind them and Danny locked it. As Lindsay led the way down towards their Uber that had been waiting outside, she turned and took one last glance at the house.

"They'll be fine." Danny chuckled in her ear as he closely followed her. "Trust her."

"I do," Lindsay nodded. "I just... They're my babies. Our babies."

"And our babies are gonna be fine." Danny opened the door for her. "Come on, let's go have some fun. You ready?"

"I'm ready." She smiled.

As she went to get in the cab, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "Hey, before I forget." He smiled at her pulling her close, "you look incredible tonight."

She pressed a soft kiss to his lips, a shy smile stretched across her face as he pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. "So do you."

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The taxi ride into the city had been nice. If taxi rides in and around New York City could be described as nice… They'd been able to talk about whatever they wanted. They'd been able to sit and not answer a single question. They'd been able to just be.

As the taxi pulled up outside the restaurant, Danny settled the fee with the driver and they quickly exited the vehicle.

"I'm excited." Lindsay said as he joined her on the sidewalk and took her hand. "I can't wait to look at a menu that doesn't offer chicken tenders."

"Right?" Danny laughed. "Just think of all the options." He opened the door with his free hand and held the door open for her. "After you, my queen."

"You're going soft in your old age, Messer." She teased as she led him into the restaurant.

"Hi, we got a reservation under Messer." Danny said as he approached the hostess.

"Two?" She smiled as she collected the menus.

Danny nodded.

"This way, please."

They followed the hostess and he led the way as they weaved their way between the tables. As they settled at their table Lindsay placed her bag over the back of her seat. She looked around and smiled. The smile was slightly pained though... she hid it well but Danny knew exactly what the problem was: she had no one to settle, no one to fuss over, no one to look after.

"_Montana_," Danny smiled shaking his head , taking hold of his menu.

"What?" She laughed at his tone of voice. "What you Montana-Ing me for!?"

"You… you're such a mom." He teased. "You're itching to put my napkin on my lap and order my drink, aren't ya?"

A small smile tugged at her lips. "Shut up!"

"You're not denyin' it."

"Damn right." She pursed her lips together. "And proud of it. I can't turn being mommy off. And I know you can't turn daddy off either. Don't lie."

He shook his head as he chuckled. "Alright, I'll bite. It was pretty weird askin' for a table for two and not five."

"Do you think they'll be ok?" Lindsay asked.

"I think they'll be fine." Danny reached for her hand. "Stop it."

"Stop what?" She laughed.

"Worryin' about them. missin' them." He said. "Be here with me, please?"

"I am." She whispered; bringing his hand up to her lips and pressing a kiss to his knuckles. "I'm here, I promise. You have all of me. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." He smiled. "Don't ever apologise for bein' the mom you are, I just want you to enjoy tonight." He said softly. "I chose a good mom for my babies."

"Guess that means I chose a good daddy." She smiled.

They fell into a moment of silence before she picked up her menu and began exploring the dishes on offer.

"What do you think they're doin'?" He broke the silence.

"I thought we weren't worrying about them." Her eyes didn't leave the menu.

"I'm not. I just.., go on. What do you think?"

"Well," Lindsay placed the menu on the table. "Lucy will be texting Zack. Lydia will be begging for a second snack and Ben will be knee deep in that game Adam gave him last week." Lindsay paused. "I can't imagine showers, homework and bedtime is happening that's for sure."

Danny laughed. He picked the menu back up. "I'm gonna go for the steak." Danny said. "What's takin' your fancy?"

"Everything!" Lindsay implored. "I don't even know where to start."

"And not a chicken tender in sight." Danny added.

"Who knew these places existed anymore?" Lindsay mused. "I mean, look... they have a wine list." She held it up. "Let's have wine!"

Danny rolled his eyes. "What do you want? The house chianti?"

Shaking her head; Lindsay pulled the wine list from his hands. "Honestly."

"Honestly? Honestly what? I don't like the sass, Montana."

"I'll sass you in a minute." She smirked. "Let's get the merlot."

"What's the difference?"

Lindsay sighed. "Chianti is a place in Tuscany. Merlot is a type of grape."

"And?"

"Oh Jesus." Lindsay laughed. "They're made out of different grapes basically."

"Too complicated for me." He shrugged. "Get whatever you want."

Lindsay shook her head. "You can do some of the most complex biology and chemistry processes going but can't fathom that wines are made out of different grapes. Right." She laughed. "Sure."

"You're such a smartass." He rolled his eyes. "Why did I bother bringin' you here? All I've got so far is grief!"

"You brought me here because you love me?" She smiled. "And you want to spend time with me." She paused. "And you like seeing me all dressed up."

"Ahh, yes." He nodded. "I remember now."

She rolled her eyes. As the lull in their conversation settled in, their waiter arrived to take their order. They rhymed off their choices and embraced the fact that for a change, for one night, they could be Danny and Lindsay; not mommy and daddy.

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Topping her glass up with more of the merlot; Danny pressed on. "Yeah but what I'm sayin' is, surely you'd like to have a proper one."

"Danny we've been over this a million times," Lindsay rolled her eyes as she set her knife and fork down on her empty plate. "I don't care that we got married at the courthouse. I'd rather do what we did a hundred times over than spend an obscene amount of money on something when that money can go towards our children and their futures."

Danny smiled at her and began shaking his head, he raised his own glass to his lips and took a sip.

"What!" She laughed: "What are you shaking your head at now?"

"Nothin'" he smiled: "I just knew you were gonna say that." He set his wine glass down on the table and took her hand.

"Say what!" She implored, linking her fingers through his.

"That you'd rather the money go towards our kids." He said. "You've said it from day one and I don't know why I ever think I'm gonna get a different answer outta you."

"I just don't see the point. It was lowkey and special. I'd much rather have a happy marriage with you."

"Well we still have a happy marriage but that don't mean we can't have a nice little wedding." He paused. "a renewal of vows or somethin',"

Lindsay shrugged. "I don't know."

"The kids would love it." Danny smiled. "Lydia as a flower girl…"

"Stop." Lindsay laughed. "I can see that it would be nice and I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is we don't need it. We have each other and we have the kids. I don't need fancy dresses. No fancy venues. Just us. You, me and the kids. That's it, that's all I need.."

He looked at her. "I love you."

She smiled. "And I love you too." She paused for a moment before her eyes lit up. "Oh I forgot! So I asked Mac about us having some time off. He said it was okay." She raised her glass to her lips and took a sip.

"He did?" Danny smiled, "Amazing, the kids are gonna he so excited."

Lindsay nodded. "What do you think we should do?" She asked. "I feel like we need to actually do something with them. Not just hang around the house and do errands like we did last time."

"I have an idea." Danny locked eyes with her. "What would you say about going to visit your dad?"

"What?" Lindsay's eyes widened. "Montana?"

Danny nodded.

"Really?" She whispered, "Danny, I'd love it." Her eyes began to fill with tears. "The last time my dad saw Lydia she was like two!"

"That's what I'm thinkin'" Danny smiled. "We get a vacation, we see him, he sees us and your dad sees the kids. And we see him. A win win."

"Oh my gosh; yes." She squealed with excitement.

"We can book it when we get home. Check with your dad first of course but... Let's do it. What's a couple of flights?"

"Try five cross country return tickets."

"Who cares!" Danny shrugged. "That's what we got a credit card for. Did Mac say when we could have the time?"

"No, he just said for us to decide when worked for us and to let him know."

Danny nodded. "What we takin' a week? Two?"

"He told me he wanted us to take a good break." She shrugged. "Alluded to two but…"

"You're thinkin' can he handle both of us bein' off for so long?"

Lindsay nodded.

"You know he'll fight you on it." Danny smiled. "You might as well accept what he's offerin'."

"I know." She said; raising her glass to her lips and taking a sip. "I'm excited."

"Me too." He said. "It'll be nice to spend some time with your dad."

Lindsay sighed. "It's been way too long."

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Glancing down at her cellphone, Lucy Messer shrugged in the direction of her brother. "Nope, Nothing."

"You're joking!" He implored. "At all? Are you sure? Check it again."

She held up the phone in the direction of her brother, showing him her background on her iPhone. Lucy shook her head. "I swear to god. Nothing."

"Wow." He smirked as he popped the recliner and laid back on the seat. " Unless Dad took her phone and threw it in the Hudson… I just find it hard to believe she hasn't checked in once. Do you realise how big this is?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "You're so dramatic."

"They must be havin' a good time if she hasn't even text you though Luce. You know what she's like… must have taken some persuadin' from dad."

"You say that as if you're surprised." Lucy sniggered as she pulled her blanket over her and snuggled into the couch. "Have you met them? They're ridiculous. I don't think it's been that hard at all for her. The second her and dad are together they're in this bubble. It amazes me how they can still love each other that much after all these years."

Ben shrugged as he reached for the remote. He turned the volume down as he cast his eyes down to his little sister. "Mom would go crazy if she found out we'd let her fall asleep here."

"Meh." Lucy shrugged as she unlocked her phone and began typing out a message to her friend. "She's asleep. I don't think it'll matter all that much. Did you shower?"

Ben nodded.

"Good." Lucy smiled. "Guess my job is done:" She too clicked the recliner of the chair and snuggled into the seat. Lydia shifted in her position slightly and moved her head to rest on Lucy's leg. Lucy laced her fingers through her sister's hair and Lydia let out a dreamy sigh as she did so.

Ben put on an old sitcom and threw the remote to the side. The two of them sat in comfortable silence, feeling their eyes dropping closed every now and then.

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Linking his fingers through hers, he pulled her close as they strolled down the street: it wasn't as busy as it had been when they had entered the restaurant. And it was they way they both liked it.

Considering their usual fast paced momentum, walking hand in hand and enjoying the tranquility of the evening was perfect. Exactly what they needed. Sometimes he knew she felt like she couldn't catch her breath. He looked over to her and she had a smile tugging at her lips. It had been way too long since he last spent time with her like this. It had been way too long since he last saw her relax and not worry about schedules, work, homework… everyday mom stuff.

"You're staring." Her voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Just absorbing." He corrected. "Nothing wrong with takin' you in."

"There isn't." She agreed. "What you absorbing now?"

"Your smile." He said softly. "Been a while since I last saw it this big."

"Yeah." She nodded. "It's been a while since we did something just the two of us."

Danny nodded. He felt her grip his hand a little tighter. In her heels, she was as tall as him and it was always a strange thing. Lindsay being as tall as him wasn't something he was used to. She'd worn heels to work over the years, but he tried desperately hard not to pay attention on those days. Partially because he knew he'd get written up for ravishing her if he thought for a moment she'd let him.

Their life together had been somewhat of a rollercoaster. For many years it has felt like they had been at the top of one of the highs and then often quickly plummeted to a low over and over again. But for the last couple of years, it had been steady. Smooth. Enjoyable. He knew she worried less, as did he. It wasn't the same anymore but he liked that. He enjoyed the fact they didn't have the constant battering of life shoving them from one traumatic experience to the next. No, settled family life was definitely a life he preferred.

He glanced at her and he could see her mind was elsewhere. The smile tugging at her lips told him she was either thinking about the kids, her dad, or Montana.

"What you thinkin' about?" He asked softly.

"Seeing the kids in Montana with my dad."

Danny smiled.

"What?" She laughed "What you smiling at?"

"Nothing." He said, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I just… I know you like the back of my hand." He teased. "I thought you'd have been thinking about one of those things: little did I know it was all three."

"You know me well." She shrugged. "What now then?"

"Wanna get some dessert?" He shrugged. "What do ya want?"

Lindsay pursed her lips together. "I don't know…I kinda miss the kids. It's been killing me not calling or texting Lucy but…. I think I needed to show her just how much I do trust her, because I do. It's just… hard."

"I know." He nodded. "Tell ya what," he said as he pulled her towards a bodega. "Let's get some ice cream, go home and get five spoons out. We can eat dessert with them."

"Perfect." She whispered

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The house was silent other than the quiet sounds of a Friends rerun on the television in the living room. Lindsay kicked off her heels on the tiled hallway before padding into the house, Danny hot on her heels. He was carrying the paper bag filled with an assortment of ice cream.

As they rounded the corner and into the living room; Lindsay stopped before entering. She laid a hand to her chest as she gave herself the chance to absorb the image.

Her three babies had all fallen asleep on the couch together. Lydia flopped on top of Lucy, Lucy cuddled up under a blanket and Ben was sprawled out across Danny's favourite spot.

"What should we do?" She whispered over her shoulder to Danny. "It almost doesn't feel right waking them up."

"I'll take them up to bed." He said, handing her the bag of ice cream. "They'll appreciate the treat tomorrow."

Lindsay took the ice cream from him and headed to the kitchen to store it all in the freezer. When she returned, Danny had managed to successfully extract Lydia from the masses of blankets on the couch. Her head was tucked into the crook of his neck with her thumb placed firmly in her mouth.

"God she's adorable." Lindsay said as she took the chance to watch her daughter sleep for a moment. "She looks more and more like Lucy as each day passes."

"Strong genes." Danny mumbled as he began the journey up to Lydia's bedroom. She heard him creep up the stairs carefully and heard Lydia's bedroom door open and then a few moments later she heard it being shut again with Danny's footsteps coming down the stairs. She began tidying the mess that littered the living room floor: toys, books, crayons… all the usual stuff. She glanced up as she watched Danny pick Lucy up from where she'd been cuddled on the couch.

"Danny." She growled. "You'll throw your damn back out!"

"She weighs a hundred pounds when she's soaking wet." He scoffed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He quickly disappeared up the stairs with her. The sound of the recliner snapping back into place stirred Lindsay's thoughts.

"Hey," Ben's croaky voice sounded. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah," Lindsay smiled, "was everything okay?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah," He said, "Lucy's learnt from the best. She runs a tight ship. Lydia didn't get the chance to pull any of her usual cr-." Bein paused and smiled. "Uh..."

"Get to bed, potty mouth." Lindsay rolled her eyes as Ben moved towards her. She bent down and pressed a kiss to the crown of his head. "Goodnight honey."

"Night Mom." He said wrapping his arms around her. "Glad you had a nice time."

As he made his way up the stairs, he met Danny half way. Danny ruffled his son's hair and kissed his temple. "Night kiddo. Sweet dreams."

"Night Pop." Ben smiled as he finished his ascent up the stairs. A few moments later they heard his door click shut.

As Danny joined her in the living room; he watched as she collected up the blankets the kids had been using and folded them; placing them back in the blanket box. She then collapsed on the couch and let out a big yawn. He disappeared into the kitchen and she could hear him rifling in the freezer. "Gone are the wild, stumble out of the club at three-am nights, huh?"

"Did we ever do that?" Danny laughed from the kitchen.

"Once?" She shrugged. "Maybe twice before we realised we were out of place?"

Danny nodded as he appeared in the living room with a pint of ice cream and two spoons. "I'd take ice cream and our kids over that life every time."

"So would I." She smiled as she accepted the spoon he was offering to her. "So would I."

As he offered her the now opened pint of ice cream; she dug her spoon into the creamy mess of ice cream and smiled. She raised the spoon to her lips and began devouring the ice cream. She watched as Danny collected some on his spoon before pressing it to her nose playfully. She rolled her eyes as he kissed the tip of her nose; removing the mess. She laid her head on his shoulder and let out a contented sigh. Life was by no means perfect, some days it was hard. There were days where she didn't see her children or husband for more than five minutes. There were days when she cried in the shower over what she'd seen at work. There were days where she questioned the entirety of humanity.

But then she'd get a random and unexpected message from Ben telling her he missed her and loved her. Or she'd get to her lunch in the break room and find the picture Lydia had slipped into the bag before she'd dropped her off at school. Or she'd sit and stare at the picture on her desk of Lucy, Lydia and Ben and her faith would be restored.

Life had its challenges, especially in the line of work she was in. But despite that, she couldn't complain. Her life with Danny and her children was pretty incredible. And she wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

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**So there we go! Thanks so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed it! Until next time! **


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